


Where Stars Align

by LesbianLametron



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Space, Getting Back Together, Lost Love, M/M, Memory Loss, Reunions, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 12:30:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15796575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LesbianLametron/pseuds/LesbianLametron
Summary: Eleven years ago, Shiro's childhood best friend, Keith, had mysteriously gone missing when he was only ten years old.  Since then, Shiro has dedicated his life to finding Keith again. He's the only one who refused to give up hope. No one on Earth believes him, but Shiro knows Keith's disappearance has something to do with an alien called the Galra. Shiro does everything he can to get to space and find them.Finally, he reaches his goal and becomes a bounty hunter for the Altean Kingdom, the direct rivals to the Galra. Shiro and Keith are caught between two empires battling for control. One promoting peace and the other promoting domination. Shiro quickly realizes that finding Keith is only half the battle.





	1. Summer Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> This is my fic for the Sheith Big Bang 2018 and I'm thrilled to be posting it. This was a collaboration with tg-sketches on tumblr, so be sure to look out for their art! 
> 
> Also Beta credit to the lovely Sheith-Keef who has been my biggest supporter of this fic even when it was just an initial idea.

It was summer; in his dreams it was always summer on Earth. A warm wind was blowing, making the flowers in the park between their houses dance in the breeze. The sun illuminated the grass making everything feel warm and green around them. It always came in flashes like scenes from a movie or a flip book that lingered on certain parts and sped right by others. Keith smiling up at him covered in random bandages because the ten-year-old was too rambunctious for his own good. He was always climbing up trees, splashing into streams, and skinning his knee falling off his bike after riding way too fast for his own good. Back then, Shiro, only a year older than him, was always patching cuts and promising not to tell Keith’s dad.

He wasn’t there when it happened, but memories distort as the years go by and dreams love to mess with reality. Shiro’s dreams nearly have him convinced that he was a moment too late. If he had been there, he could have saved Keith. It was like a scene out of one of those horror or alien movies they were way too young to watch. They always snuck down to Keith’s basement after his dad had gone to sleep and scared themselves with those movies just for the thrill of it.

One-minute Keith was there, playing by the creek, smiling at Shiro as he approached and the next he was gone. Shiro knew now that Galra ships didn’t look like flying saucers, but they could beam people up just like the movies. The ship appeared just above the trees, casting a shadow as big as a lake and Keith’s face fell, staring up at in shock. A purple tractor beam appeared and Keith was suddenly lifted off the ground. He looked at Shiro with wide panicked eyes and reached his arm out. His mouth fell open and he let out a scream Shiro had only heard one other time. Keith had broken his arm when he was nine and screamed out in agony when he had tried to move it. Now, that same scream left Keith’s lips and rang out in Shiro’s ears.

In perfect nightmare fashion, Shiro was too far away. He ran as fast as his eleven-year-old legs would allow, but he never got any closer. The black asphalt below him stretched out like a rubber band, growing longer with each step that Shiro took. The road only stopped stretching when it was too late, he got to park just as the door to the ship closed with Keith inside. He had screamed over and over for Shiro to help him, but he couldn’t. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get there. The grass fluttered and thrashed around him as he fell to his knees and the almost cartoon like saucer sped away. He was helpless and couldn’t do anything.

Shiro sat up in a panic as he always did, drenched in a cold sweat and gasping for breath. Reality would crash back down around him, he wasn’t eleven years old anymore and he didn’t even live on Earth, he hadn’t for a year now. So many things had changed in the last eleven years, except one thing, Keith was still missing. Of course, his abduction hadn’t actually happened as it did in his nightmares. It happened quietly and Shiro only found out when his mom told him that Keith had been reported missing after twenty-four hours had passed. Search parties had been sent out and they went on for months, but eventually they quietly faded away just as Keith did. After a year, people assumed Keith was dead and they had a funeral for him.

That was never good enough for Shiro. He would find Keith and would dedicate his life to that.

Of course, his sense of reality would tell him that he couldn’t have done anything at eleven to save Keith. He was just a kid. That’s what his mom had always told him, but Shiro didn’t really believe that deep down. Did no one watch the Goonies or Stranger Things? Those young kids had adventures and in some cases helped save the world. Sure, that was fiction, but Shiro never underestimated his abilities despite his age. He had been the youngest to pass flight school and earn a pilot’s license at just nineteen years old. He went on his first mission at twenty and never came back to Earth after that.

A melancholy sigh left Shiro’s lips as he shook off those memories and walked over to his window. The sun had just started to rise, illuminating the dark sky with hues of pink, orange and yellow. Shiro lived in a small shack just outside the royal city near the mountains. Out of all the planets Shiro had visited since he left Earth, Altea was the most like Earth. It had plains with wildflowers, mountains, lakes, and even a blue sky. It revolved around its own sun, but it didn’t have roads or cars like Earth did. He never heard a honking horn or got stuck in traffic. They traveled by small podded spaceships or hover bikes, flying where they needed to go. The young Alteans were taught to fly just as young Earthlings would have been taught to drive. Shiro drove a red hoverbike because it was most like a motorcycle, the kind Keith used to fantasize learning to drive.  

There he was again, thinking about Keith. Yet if he was honest, Keith never really left his mind, subconsciously or not. There was no going back to sleep after a nightmare like that, so Shiro shed his clothes and hopped in the shower to rid himself of the sweat clinging to his skin. As he’s washing his hair Shiro’s mind wanders to Keith and he wonders what he could be doing at this very moment. Was he still sleeping? Was he being tortured by the Galra? Was he even with them? That was only Shiro’s guess, but it was closest he’d been in years to the truth.

He rinsed his hair and his fingers trailed down to the collections of stars on his collarbone. Most people here assumed it was tattoo, but Shiro knew what it really was. Alteans didn’t have soulmates in the same way that Earthlings did. Only Keith had the matching set of stars on his collarbone as Shiro did. When everyone had given up on finding Keith, Shiro never did. He felt an energy when he brushed his fingers over the red lines. They stood out on his skin, raised like a scar and bright red like jacket Keith always wore when they were kids.

He remembered asking his mom if Keith was dead, why did he still have Keith’s soulmark? She brushed her fingers through his hair like she always did when she was about to say something he wasn’t going to like. _“Even in death, soulmarks will stay on your skin, but like memories they will eventually fade. I’ve never known someone who lost their soulmate at such a young age like you did. Maybe they’ll eventually be replaced by another’s mark. People can have more than one soulmate in their lives.”_

Shiro was twelve at the time when he asked that. His mother never sugarcoated anything nor pretended that she had all answers. After all he’d been through, she couldn’t hurt him anymore. He was young yes, but he lost his best friend, his soulmate, and deserved to know the truth. That was her policy anyway. But Shiro couldn’t believe her, not then, and not now. That energy he felt under his fingertips was stronger now than it was back then. He’d always felt Keith’s life force and knew they were all wrong.

Thinking about these things made him miss home, miss Earth, and of course miss Keith. Yet he couldn’t return home, not until he found Keith. Then they would go back Earth together, they would go home. Every day he would get a bit closer, he’d capture another criminal who might know something about the inner workings of the Galra. Everything he had been working toward had led him to the Galra. He had not once been able to infiltrate their main base. In his heart, he knew Keith was there. Maybe today he’d get one step closer.

Shiro stepped out of the shower and dried himself off, getting ready for the day. He pulled his hair into a bun at the base of his neck and tuck any stray pieces behind his ears. He only ever wore his hair down when he was at home, but it got in the way too much at work. Of course, he could just cut it, but Keith liked long hair. He was sure everyone would make fun of him if they really knew the reason Shiro did things like that. No one on Altea knew about Keith, he never talked about him here, not even to his best friend. The last thing he put on was his watch. It was the most important part of his outfit because it was the Altean version of a phone. He pushed a button on the watch so an orange transparent screen appeared.

He scrolled through the available bounties, searching specifically for ones with any Galra affiliation. He didn’t care about the small time criminals, he only went after Galra ones. His eyes widened when he saw a particular purple alien pop up. He knew from his research and from others he had caught that this guy, Sendak, was a higher up. The bounty on him was higher than Shiro had ever seen. Intel told him that Sendak would be sending a team to the Balmera to collect crystals. He’d be with them to oversee such an important mission. There was no way Shiro could do this on his own like he usually did. He’d need help. He closed the screen and pulled up his contacts, calling his favorite partner and crime.

He was greeted by the very annoyed and currently green face of Lance who just groaned at him. “Shiro...are you kidding me right now? It’s seven am. I know _you_ don’t sleep, but the rest of us are still sleeping at this hour.”

“Yeah, yeah, there’s a hit on Sendak. His bounty is higher than I’ve ever seen. I know I won’t be able to take him out on my own.” Shiro ignored Lance’s comments. Normally he might give a jab back, but he wasn’t in the mood right now. If they didn’t get a jump on this now, Sendak could be captured by another bounty hunter. Shiro was well known as the best around, but that just meant the other Alteans just wanted to fight harder against him.

Lance seemed to gauge Shiro’s seriousness and grumbled a bit under his breath. He knew there was a reason Shiro was directly hunting Galra and especially Galra high command, but he never asked. He didn’t really need to know, just like Shiro didn’t need to know why he, as an Altean Noble, was holding a job as bounty hunter. That’s just the way their friendship was. They were rivals at times, but they left all personal affairs out of it. Besides, the one time Lance had tried to ask about the tattoo he’d seen on Shiro’s collarbone, Shiro had bristled and ignored him. There was something there, but he would never pry. Shiro wasn’t the kind of guy that handled prying well.

“All right. I’ll get my fighter and meet you at your place as soon as I can.” Lance conceded and ended the video call. He knew at least if he took this job, Shiro would be there to help him in a heartbeat in the future. At least he hoped.


	2. In Reality

The mission had gone successfully, but Sendak refused to talk to them. Shiro could have sworn there was recognition in his eyes when Shiro asked if there was human among their ranks, though Sendak had just smirked and asked if Shiro was missing a human buddy. It was slight, but Shiro had hope.  He brushed him off as well as the question in Lance’s eyes. Everything inside told him not to get discouraged, but he couldn’t help but think he may never find Keith. 

There were only minutes from the royal city when Shiro got an alert about a new bounty. He put his ship on autopilot for a minute so he could check his watch. Shiro gasped and felt the blood drain out of his face when he saw the picture. His heart started pounding and he swore he felt a small spark on his collarbone. His face was mostly obscured by a dark hood and the picture was blurry at best, but Shiro would recognize him anywhere.  _ Galra Assassin known by the codename: Red Lion. Last seen: Olkarion. Current Location: unknown.  _

“Keith!”

“What’s that?” Lance called back over his headset, surprised by Shiro’s sudden outburst. 

“Can you take Sendak in by yourself? Something came up. I’ve gotta go. Just wire me my share of Groggeries.”

He sensed Lance’s confusion, but he played it off with the flirty tone in his voice. “And get to see the Princess all on my own? My pleasure.” Lance had gotten the same notification and the minute he accepted Shiro’s request, he saw Shiro stake a formal claim on the Red Lion. “Wait Shiro! We just got off a hunt, at least take time in a Cryo-pod to heal!” 

Lance’s words fell on deaf ears. Shiro had severed all communication with him as he abruptly turned his fighter around. This was the first time he’d gotten any news about Keith. Even if the wound in his side would scream in protest, he couldn’t waste any time. He needed to jump to Olkarion immediately and chase down Keith. He supposed Keith would be in some sort of Galra fighter if he was an assassin. They usually needed to make a quick escape after taking out their victims. They were small and fast ships, but didn’t have capability to wormhole jump as the bigger fighters like Shiro’s did. He could still be close. Shiro was going to hold on that hope with everything he had left. Anything was worth seeing Keith’s face again. 

Shiro opened a wormhole and screamed out in agony as he gave himself a quick set of stitches on his wound. They would hold for now. Again, it didn’t matter. He could handle the pain if it meant seeing Keith. He had to get to him before anyone else. Even though this combined with his share from the Sendak hit would completely pay off his house, Shiro didn’t care. This would be one bounty he wouldn’t be cashing in. He and Keith would be on Earth well before anyone could catch them. Keith would be put to death for his crimes or if he got off easy, put into cryo-sleep for a hundred years. He wouldn’t lose Keith again. 

He started from Olkarion and searched in direction of the next Galra occupied planet. Keith was smart; he would go for a cover in the empire that he apparently worked for. Shiro felt a little dizzy just thinking about it. He knew now for sure that Keith had been abducted by the Galra eleven years ago. A lot could happen in that time, but he still couldn’t make sense of it in his mind. Why would Keith be killing for their empire? Shouldn’t he hate them for taking him away from his home? Back then, they had been close as brothers and the next thought Shiro had sunk like anchor in his stomach, nearly grounding him in grief. 

What if Keith didn’t remember him after all this time? What if Keith wasn’t searching for Shiro in the same way he was for Keith? 

_ No.  _

He couldn’t allow himself to believe that. He loved Keith, and even if he didn’t feel things for Shrio in the romantic sense, they were still soulmates. He would go to ends of the universe to save Keith. The Galra must have some kind of bribery or hold over Keith, forcing him to be an assassin. Keith had always had his own sense of what was just and fair, even if it meant breaking the rules. But killing for money? That wasn’t Keith. 

With all those thoughts racing through Shiro’s mind he almost didn’t see a single Galra fighter jet in his peripheral vision. His heart started pounding in anticipation and he quickly initiated the cloaking feature on his ship. He’d come this far…couldn’t have Keith suddenly see an Altean ship and run. Pidge was really a brilliant engineer. He had to admit most of his Groggeries from jobs went to Pidge to put the latest enhancements on his ship. 

He followed what he supposed was Keith’s ship to a local Galra controlled planet. He stopped just short of the entry point, knowing they’d never let an Altean ship cross. He put his fighter into neutral and ran to his supplies in the back, he stole a set of clothes from a random Galra sentry on the Sendak mission. Quickly, he dumped his hunter clothes and thought of a plan. He’d need to take possession of the Galra craft to gain access to the planet and he had to do it quickly. He didn’t know how long Keith would be there or if this pilot was even Keith. 

In a split second decision Shiro steered his ship to a nearby port, knowing there’d be extra fighter jets there. He had to take on without a fight if possible. He didn’t have time to get into a battle. With his ship still cloaked, he was able to slip in unnoticed. He held his breath as he docked his ship just outside of the port and walked in. If he was going to be convincing as a Galra, he had to walk in like he owned the place. Galra never shied away from anything and they took what they needed. 

The sentry at the gate didn’t even bat an eye as he scanned Shiro’s ID bracelet and allowed him access to the hanger. He was glad he remembered to take the band from the sentry as well. He knew enough about the Galra to know they did everything by ID bands. So many different beings were part of the empire and there were so many different sentries, that as long as he was dressed like one, they wouldn’t notice. 

Once Shiro had a fighter jet, he returned to the planet he last saw Keith. They let him through without a hitch and his heart sank when he realized how similar all the jets appeared to be. He couldn’t possibly know if Keith was even still here. He flew close to the ground so he could scan each area for signs of jets similar to his own. It might be a long shot, but by the way the jet was being flown, he had a hunch it was Keith. This was the closest he’d been in years. 

He flew by a random restaurant and saw a few jets parked outside. Hit bit his lip and was trying to decide if he should waste time checking it out when he felt a jolt of energy on his left side. He ran his hand over where he mark would be under his disguise and he knew. It was the first time he’d felt  _ anything  _ from it in  _ years  _ and his hopes were already skyrocketing. It would be catastrophic if they crashed back down, but it was worth it. Call it soulmate magic, but he would bet his life he wouldn’t be let down.

He had found Keith. 

Shiro easily landed his jet among the others and strode inside the restaurant. It only took his eyes a moment to scan the room and see a young man sitting at the bar. He’d imagined this moment a million times and played their reunion over and over again, but now that it was here, he was frozen. It was almost as if he was scared to approach Keith and have him disappear like a mirage. His heart was screaming for him to run to him, but his more rational brain told him to be cautious.

Then it happened. 

The man turned and his hood fell back, revealing his face and Shiro’s heart kick-started into overdrive. It was if all this time he was asleep, coasting through life and finally woke up. He bit back a gasp and tried to control the tears that had come to his eyes. 

There. 

Right there. 

Only a few feet away was Keith. All of his hard work, the years of studying way too hard and exhausting himself, the nights spent crying, nearly giving up over a hundred times, had led up to this moment. His eyes traced every feature of Keith’s face trying to memorize the details so the image would never leave his mind. Just this had made everything worth it. He looked older, and even a bit worn, but he was Keith. 

Shiro would recognize him anywhere.  

Keith talked easily with the bartender like he knew him. The translator in his helmet told him they were speaking Galran. Apparently after all this time, Keith had learned another language too. Shiro lost himself for a moment, remembering when talking with Keith was easier than breathing. Under those scars, the years, and their time apart, was the Keith he knew still there? Did Keith still love hippos? Did he still love sparring, watching horror movies, and have a guilty pleasure for anything chocolate? Shiro closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. He couldn’t let this opportunity escape him. It was now or never. He had to make a move. 

He stepped up to Keith and cleared his throat. Keith looked over at him and rolled his eyes. “I need to speak with you outside.” Shiro had quickly programmed the translator to say it for him in Galran so he wouldn’t stand out just yet. 

“Look. I already turned in the proper evidence of my latest mission. Can’t a guy just enjoy a post-job drink in peace?” 

Shiro said nothing and refused to move. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t surprised at the purple, triangular mark on Keith’s cheek. It trailed down his neck and disappeared in the collar of his shirt. That was definitely something new that his Keith never had before. Had the Galra done that to him to mark him as one of theirs? The thought sent horrified shivers up his spine. 

“Ugh. Fine. I’ll go.” 

“Always in trouble somehow, huh Akira?” The bartender called after them with a smirk on his face. 

“Shut up, Kolivan. Just put the drink on my tab. I’ll settle it next time.” Keith called over his shoulder and followed Shiro outside. 

“Okay, what is this about?” 

Shiro removed his helmet, but he saw no sudden recognition in Keith’s eyes. “Keith, It’s me. I’ve been searching for you everywhere!” 

Keith looked very put off by something and narrowed his eyes, nostrils flaring in anger. “Don’t call me that. I renounced that name long ago.” He responded back in perfect English without even thinking about it. “English, huh? I didn’t think anyone even spoke that anymore. Such an archaic language. Who are you?” 

This was the culmination of Shiro’s worst fears. He could deal with Keith hating him for abandoning him for so long, or not returning his feelings, but not remembering him was the worst case scenario. No, he couldn’t get distracted by that now. He had to capture Keith and they could work out all the details later. 

“Oh, are you the strong silent type?” Keith tapped his chin, thinking for a moment, “Looking for me everywhere, huh? You’re an Altean bounty hunter. I heard a rumor there was a hit out on me. I gotta say I’m impressed you found me so quickly. But that’s not how this goes, I’ve been training for my job for eight years before they let me on the field. You’ll never capture me.” 

Keith pulled out a knife from a hidden holster strapped to his thigh and narrowed his eyes. The instant the hilt hit his palm, it transformed into a full blown blade. He smirked and struck first, trying to catch Shiro off guard. His brow furrowed when the hit didn’t connect and he gritted his teeth together, ready to strike again. 

Shiro smiled a little to himself and dodged Keith’s first strike easily. Keith’s fighting style seemed more refined than it had been back then, but he always struck first. It was his main tactic, that and staying low, trying to throw off his opponents center of gravity. Keith was always fighting people taller than himself. Next he would do some sort of move to try and knock his opponent off their feet.  Keith swiped at Shiro’s feet with a kick, but Shiro quickly jumped out of the way. There it was.

Keith was bewildered that his two main tactics hadn’t worked and that astonishment quickly turned into anger. Shiro pressed his lips together to hide the smirk that threatening his lips. He threw off the outer cloak of his outfit and activated his Altean arm. He had to keep dodging and keep Keith angry. Keith always lost his head a little when his emotions took over. 

“Oh, so Alteans have robot prosthetic technology too?” Keith commented in interest, trying to distract Shiro. 

“We do, but unlike the Galra,” Shiro gasped out and doged another one of Keith’s high kicks. He blocked Keith’s leg and threw him off balance. Keith let out a low growl as he fell. Shiro looked down at him and finished his sentence, “they’re needs based, not just for experimentation.” Keith recovered easily, and came back at him. 

He was starting to make sloppy mistakes after the first fall. Shiro took that opportunity to land a hit in the moment where Keith’s stance was too wide. Keith was shoved back with the force and his face contorted in anger. Shiro knew he was getting somewhere. This Keith was apparently not used to losing. 

From just a few yards away, unnoticed by Keith or Shiro, Kolivan stood in the shadow of the building watching the fight. He pulled out his communicator and sent a call. He was met with a female Galra with two triangular marks on her face and neck. “Krolia. He came just like you said he would. He’s overpowering Keith. I’ve never seen that done.” 

Krolia’s lips quirked into a rare smile, “I knew he would come. This young man has been looking throughout the whole universe for Keith. Of course he’d be the first to respond to my bounty tip.”

“How did you know he could beat Keith?” 

“I’m still in contact with Keith’s father. He said they used to spar as kids, not once did Keith beat Shiro. If Shiro was keeping up his training as I suspect he was, he’d be in top physical shape. He knows Keith better than anyone. He’ll save him for sure.” 

Kolivan watched the fight, still keeping Krolia on the line as it quickly started coming to an end. “He even knows Keith can’t fight properly when he’s angry. Amazing.” 

“On Earth, they call the two of them ‘soulmates’.” 

Shiro landed his finishing blow, knocking the knife right out of Keith’s hands. Before Keith could even try to grab for it, Shiro pinned Keith’s arms behind his back, forcing him to the ground. He quickly locked Keith’s hands in shackles and picked up the knife, hiding it from view. 

“How? No one has ever done that.” Keith yelled in outrage. 

“Krolia, Shiro beat him.” Kolivan murmured, as much in shock as Keith was about his loss.\

“Good. Hopefully Shiro will take Keith back to Earth so they’ll be far away from all this. I didn’t want to have to burn the Empire to ground with my son still in it.” Krolia looked a bit relieved, but still mostly worried as she ended the call. Kolivan walked back into the bar, knowing phase one was now nearly completed. 

* * *

“So you’re just going to keep me chained up in here like some animal? What’s your game here?” Keith finally spoke up. He’d been silent the whole ride, but now that he was chained up with nothing to do, he got curious.  

Apparently Keith didn’t remember him at all, so Shiro decided to go with a different tactic. “I’m looking for a friend of mine. He’s being held in Galra captivity.” 

Keith’s eyes lit up with a bit of recognition. “You’re the hunter who has been going after only Galra hits. The closer to higher command, the better. Do you have other houses in the middle of nowhere where you hold them too?” 

This Keith was all snark and sarcasm. Shiro bet his Keith would have had a lot that when he grew up too. “No. I’ve gotten word that he’s working as an assassin, so I immediately took the hit on you.” 

“And you’re keeping me captive thinking I’ll eventually crack and sell out. Not going to happen.” Keith crossed his arms and looked away. It reminded Shiro a bit of how Keith used to act when Shiro wouldn’t let him get his way. “I work alone, I don’t know or give a shit about the other assassins.” 

“Well, my friend is named Steven,” Shiro started, using Keith’s dad’s name, hoping in some way one of these details would trigger a memory. “He was abducted from Earth when we just kids. He was ten. Did you know your Empire took kids from other planets to force them to work?” 

There was a small flicker in Keith’s eyes, but it was gone before Shiro could really decipher what it was. “You say that to me as if that matters. Why should I care about them?” 

Just that short sentence alone managed to break Shiro’s heart a little. The Keith from his childhood had a strong sense of fairness and justice. He stood up for every kid that was being bullied or protested every unfair situation that happened in school or games. He wondered if that flicker was the impulse of that, but whatever the Galra had done to him was repressing those urges somehow. 

“Anyway, I’ve been working for eleven years to find him. You’re the closest I’ve gotten so far. He was my best friend.” Shiro said slowly, pausing to see if he was affecting Keith. So far, nothing. It was as if this Keith didn’t have an empathetic bone in his body. “On Earth we have this thing called soulmates. They share the same mark in the same location and it is our version of mating for life. It’s in no way a perfect match or anything, all relationships take work, but it’s the one person in the world that we’re most compatible with. Steven was—is my soulmate.” 

“Hm. Interesting.” Keith deadpanned, “you talk a lot.” 

“This is the most I’ve talked about him in years. I couldn’t really tell anyone in Altea about him. They probably wouldn’t be to happy that hear that I was only using them to find him.” Shiro said quietly, realizing how good it felt just to talk about Keith even if he didn’t know it was him. 

“Oh I get your tactic now. You’re going to annoy me to death with useless chatter. Like I said, I’ve never heard of any Earthling named Steven. Nor do I care.” 

“You know, you remind me a of him a bit. He was always getting into trouble and getting hurt in the most random ways. Steven never stopped exploring and climbing trees. I mean, granted he was ten when I last saw him, but I think now he’d be a bit like you.” Shiro mused, still watching Keith very carefully with everything he said to him. 

“I am not like that. You only took me captive because...because I had just come back from a job and I was having an off day!” 

“He would make excuses like that when we would spar and he would lose too.” 

“I’m not making excuses!” Keith huffed and got up to lay on the bed. The shackle on his foot allowed him to move about the room, but not by much. “Just wait, I’ll escape when you least expect it. I can pick locks, you know.”

“With what tools? I already confiscated everything from you.” Shiro smirked, enjoying this banter a little bit. It was so reminiscent of the old them. 

“One day you’ll slip up and I’ll take your ship, stranding you on this planet.” 

“Good luck with that. I always have the keys on my person.” 

“You think I can’t pick pocket? Come on, Galrans are trained in all sorts of skills.” Keith had actually turned to face him now, smirking like he had the upper hand. “Also, who says I need keys. Any idiot can jump start a spaceship.” 

Shiro gave him a little grimace, “Good luck. It is unlocked by fingerprint only. I have quite the engineer back on Altea.” 

Keith sneered at him, “Don’t think I won’t resort to cutting off a finger or two, or maybe your other hand. Then maybe the alteans can give you matching set.” He pointed Shiro’s prosthetic arm. “We’re not pacifists. I’ll escape by any means necessary.” 

“I’m not Altean either. Goodnight Keith.” Shiro got up and closed the door behind him, locking it with the spare set of keys he found. 

Keith tried to make a run for the door but the chain had stopped him just short. “I’ll find a way out of here!”

Shiro walked into the other bedroom and his exhaustion suddenly hit him all at once. He’d been going for fourteen hours straight with barely any breaks for food. He changed his clothes and all but collapsed in bed. With nothing else to distract him, Shiro suddenly felt so lonely. He thought he’d be overjoyed to have Keith back, but not like this. It was like an April Fools joke, or a wish from a twisted genie.  _ Yes, you can have your soulmate back, but he won’t remember you at all. He’ll act  _ almost  _ like himself, but not quite. He’ll be just different enough. _

That was the worst part. He was Keith, but he was also not at the same time. Not the Keith he knew and loved. Shiro dug his fingernails into the mark on his collarbone. As if the slight pain to the mark would translate to Keith and he would just wake up from all of this. All this time, Shiro had felt Keith’s disappearance like a hole in his heart. He could live, his heart would keep beating, but each pump of blood was laboring and painful. 

Now it was as if someone had poorly patched the hole. It was momentary fix, but it still hurt the same. Shiro closed his eyes and saw the smiling face of his Keith, but it only lasted for a moment before the figure changed to this version of Keith.  _ “Why should I care about them?” _ It was all wrong! A few tears slipped down Shiro’s cheeks as he squeezed his eyes shut trying to block everything out in the darkness. It was still so painful right now, but Shiro wouldn’t give up. After all this time, he didn’t give up on finding Keith. He couldn’t give up now when he was so close. Most of the time it was subtle, but every now and then he would get hints, his Keith was still there. Each time it happened, Shiro believed that there had to be a way to wake him up. 

Shiro couldn’t sleep, he stared at the ceiling as if it would give him some kind of answers, some solace for how he was feeling. Thousands of thoughts were racing through his mind, but they all had same feeling: guilt. He suddenly missed the young, sweet boy from his childhood. The Keith that would follow him around, that would sneak in his bed during sleepovers because the floor was too cold, too lonely. 

Lonely. That’s how he felt every day on Earth, but Keith must have felt that a million, trillion times over. Shiro had at least still lived on Earth with his mother and familiar people to keep him company. Keith’s dad had become like a second dad to him, to replace the one that had left. He still had them, but Keith had been taken to a foreign planet where he knew no one and was completely alone. 

His initial thoughts were to wake Keith up, to change him back somehow like they were some fairy tale. Maybe this was who Keith truly was, it had been eleven years.  _ Eleven years  _ of probably unspeakable horrors and Shiro couldn’t protect him from any of them. He hadn’t gotten  to him fast enough. If only it hadn’t taken so long. This Keith had a steel walls around his heart, cold eyes, and lacked his sincere care for others. He used to think the two of them were one in the same, two peas in a pod to be cliche. Now, they couldn’t be more different and it was Shiro’s fault. That was a heavy burden to carry at twenty-two. He was Keith’s soulmate, he was supposed to, sworn to, protect Keith always. Now, look at what he’d done. 


	3. Routine

The next morning Shiro had gotten up bright and early to find the nearest hunter shop. He needed to find a different way of keeping Keith captive so he could at least not have to shackle Keith anymore. That was a bit too cruel for his liking. Keeping Keith captive was pretty cruel too, but he didn’t know what else to do. He couldn’t take Keith back to his place on Altea; he’d get arrested and condemned to an equivalent of lifetime in Cryo-sleep. He couldn’t afford for that to happen when he knew in his heart he could wake Keith up from all of this. 

His watch beeped with an alert from Lance, who was trying to figure out what happened to him. Shiro hated having to ignore his friend, but Lance couldn’t know. No one could. He couldn’t let anyone find them. If someone caught onto them, they’d have to move planets. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that, nor would it take that long. He had to believe he could bring Keith back. 

When he got back, Shiro started breakfast. He wasn’t the best cook, but did learn to simple things like eggs, pasta, and rice type dishes. Lance had taught him that much about cooking. He had said anything beyond that, Shiro was basically hopeless. Of course, most houses had automatic cooking systems, but Shiro had to disconnect everything that could be online. They had to make sure no one could track their location. 

“Hey! How long are you going to keep me in this room? Even prisoners get food.” Keith must have been woken up by the smell of food. 

Shiro covered the food and slowly unlocked the door. He pulled out a small device from his pocket and stuck it to the side of Keith’s neck before he could move to block it. 

“What the fuck is that?” Keith demanded and tried to remove it, but it shocked him the moment he tried to tamper with it. “That’s just cruel. Are you sure you’re not Galra?” 

“I don’t want to do this to you either.” Shiro murmured as he unlocked the shackle from Keith’s ankle. As he predicted, Keith tried to attack him the moment he was unchained. He pressed a button on the remote his pocket and Keith fell to his knees, stunned. 

“I hate you.” Keith grunted out. 

“Look, I’ll even let you go if you just tell me about my friend or about how I can find the other assassins. When you can, get up, and come get some food.” Shiro was trying to keep things as calm and humane as possible. Even the thought of doing that to Keith made his stomach turn, but it had to be done. 

Keith stood up after two minutes and flipped Shiro off, going to the bathroom first instead. There was one in his room, he could have gone at any time. Keith was still a bit childish at times. Shiro plated food for both of them and sat down, waiting for Keith to return. 

“So I’m guessing you replaced all the doorknobs with ones that lock from the outside or only unlock with a key?” 

“The outside ones are a little more advanced than that. I’ve also locked up anything that could be used as weapon. It’s like housing a child.” Shiro teased, knowing that getting under Keith’s skin may make him talk. He tended to get carried away when he was angry. 

“I’m not a child. You really think this will break me? The Galra have the harshest punishments in the galaxy. I’m also not afraid to die for not giving you information. I know you won’t kill me, so you’ll be wasting your time. The prisoner never talks.” 

“Do you keep in contact with the other assassins or do you work in teams?” 

Keith just shrugged and continued eating. As Shiro predicted, Keith was just going to be as quiet as possible. He’d resort to his other strategy. Each day or time they were together, he’d give Keith a new story about himself. Hopefully one would eventually trigger a memory. 

“On the weekends in the summer—Earth’s warm weather season—Steven, Steven’s dad, and I would go fishing. I don’t know much about the Galra planet, do you have lakes and fishing?” 

Keith just glared at him and rolled his eyes as if to say, ‘not this again’. 

“Well on Earth we have three main bodies of water: rivers, lakes, and oceans. All of them have creatures living in them that can breathe underwater. It’s kind of like that frozen planet Mer where everything is underwater. Yet on Earth we have both above water and underwater places. So anyway, a past time for Earthlings is to go out on the water in boat and try and catch fish. Sometimes we eat them and sometimes we just do it for fun.” 

“So are you going to stun me if I don’t listen to your pointless story?”    
  
Shiro just decided to ignore him and see how long he could keep this going. “Steven was seven at the time and I was eight. It had been a few hours since we caught anything and when Steven finally did, he had it almost reeled in and the fish got away. He was so frustrated that he jumped over the side of the boat. His dad screamed at him and I was so confused. We asked him why he had jumped into the water and he said, ‘I was trying to catch the fish with my hands since the stupid pole wasn’t working.’ It made his dad and I laugh because of course that wouldn’t work. The fish swim way faster than we ever could.” 

Keith just stood up and turned around, leaving the table. “You tell the most boring stories. What was the point of that?” 

“Well we might as well tell stories or something to pass the time.” Shiro shrugged innocently, but his shoulders fell when he saw no hint of recognition in Keith’s eyes.

“Yeah, how about no.” Keith walked into his designated room and slammed the door behind him. Shiro tried not to lose hope, telling himself he'd try again with another story at lunch time. He’d keep telling Keith about himself and asking questions until they finally got somewhere. Soulmates never gave up on each other.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Keith served his sentence isolating himself in the room that Shiro had given him. He spent time crafting and attempting escape plans, training as much as he could and avoiding his captor whenever possible. The only times he ever spent time with Shiro was during meals. Each meal with coupled with story about this ‘Steven’ friend of Shiro’s and Keith out of boredom, listened, making snide comments whenever he could.

He really knew too much about this Steven person and his relationship to Shiro. He now knew they grew across the street from each other, whatever that meant, and were childhood friends. Steven’s mother had left them before he even aged a year and Shiro had lost his father to a pilot accident when he was five. Steven loved climbing trees, running, swimming, fishing, and drawing. Shiro had spent half his life learning how to fly and finding Altea so he could see Steven again. He said it was because of love and because they were ‘soulmates’, again, another concept that was still so foreign to him. 

If he was honest with himself, he was jealous that Steven had someone like Shiro, someone who would do anything to find him. Keith was taught to keep any beings at arms length. To the Galra, love, attachment to others, was seen as weakness so he was taught never to be close to anyone. He didn’t even know his own parents. 

The days were the same, but at night things change. Keith caught himself more than once having vivid dreams of a young Shiro and a young boy that matched the stories Shiro told him. He mostly chalked it up to boredom and an overactive imagination to make up for the lack of stimuli he got in this place. The dreams felt so surreal and Keith felt a strange connection to the boy in them. He understood that the boy was supposed to be Steven, but couldn’t understand why his subconscious imagined the boy looking like a younger version of himself. It was as if that boy was Keith, but also not Keith at the same time. 


	4. Not Truly

_“Hey Takashi?” Keith prompted rolling over on his side to face Shiro. The green grass beneath him forming to take the shape of his body as he moved. It was a perfect day of many they had just lying on grass and looking up at the clouds. It was one of the few times Shiro could ever get Keith to stop moving._

_“What is it?” Shiro asked, mimicking Keith’s movements so they were facing each other._

_“We’ll be together always, won’t we? I mean that’s what soulmates do, right?”_

_Shiro smiled at him, “Of course we will. I’ll never give up on you.”_

_Keith’s face suddenly fell a little, “Then why did my mommy leave my daddy? Wouldn’t they always have wanted to be together?”_

_That was a lot for a seven year old to ask and Shiro couldn’t even begin to answer that question. Keith had never really known his mother and probably asked this question to father a million times over. Keith could tell he wasn’t going to get the answer he was looking for this time either. “I don’t know. My mom says relationships are complicated, especially when you become adults. Your mom left because she felt she had to.”_

_Tears started to prick at the corners of Keith’s eyes and he rolled on his back, covering his eyes with his arm. Even as a young child, Keith hated crying, hated showing people he was upset._

_“Keith, don’t cry. I promise, we won’t be like that. I’ll always be with you and I’ll always find you.” Shiro sat up and pulled Keith into his arms, holding him as he cried._

_Suddenly everything shifted from the bright, sunny park to a dark metal walled cell. Everything started to come in fractured flashes, being taken away from Earth, being locked away in a dimly lit cell, being subjected to hours of testing and trials by wicked Galra who never let him rest. It came too fast and too broken for Keith to really make sense of it all, then suddenly everything went still and Keith was alone again, no Galra around him, no Shiro, just empty, gray walls._

_“Shiro please. You promised…” Everything was too blurred, too distorted for Keith to understand what had happened, but he knew he had connection to this Shiro. All he knew was the feeling of being completely, utterly alone and being in aching pain. “...promised we’d always be together.”_

_“You think you’re worth finding? You think he’ll still come for you? One day he’ll move on and you’ll be gone. His mark will fade and you’ll be alone.” Keith was used to being a loner and never made friends easily, but even in those times he still had Shiro and his father. One of his biggest fears was actually being completely alone, being forgotten and cast aside like he didn’t matter to anyone._

Keith curled in on himself and screamed out, clutching his head as his eyes snapped open. He had forced himself awake in terror and the room slowly came into focus, the prison melting away like snow on a window, letting him see the truth beyond the illusion.

Shiro burst into the room, woken up by screams and saw Keith curled up in the fetal position, clutching his head and hyperventilating. “Keith…” He whispered, slowly stepping into the room, trying not to startle him.

Keith quickly got up and backed himself again the wall, in a crouch, ready to spring at Shiro in any moment. It kind of reminded Shiro of an angry, threatened cat and that almost made him smile. It reminded him of the many times he’d jokingly compare Keith’s personality to a cat, temperamental, but once he loved someone he fiercely protected them.

“Get away from me. What have you done to me?” Keith demanded, glaring Shiro down with all the fury inside of him. “You’ve been putting hallucinogens in my food haven’t you? So I’d have dreams about those stories you tell. Who the hell is Takashi and why did I see myself being captured and tortured by the Galra like your friend?”

“I’m Takashi. That’s my first name. How did you..?” Shiro’s eyes widened and his sucked in a loud, hissing breath. Keith was having dreams about the stories. They were working. He wanted to explain everything, but Keith was frightened, he saw something in a nightmare that scared Shiro too. Even the single step he’d taken closer to Keith had caused him to bristle.

“Get out! Get away from me. I didn’t think you actually torturing me to talk, but you are. You’re making me see myself as that stupid friend of yours so I’ll feel sorry for you and talk. It won’t work. Turn me in or let me go already!”

Shiro’s lip trembled watching Keith lashing out in fear and knowing he couldn’t help him. This time he couldn’t pull Keith into his arms and hold him until he calmed down. So many things had happened without his knowledge and they weren’t ten anymore. “Keith, it’ll be alright, just take a deep breath and calm down.”

“Stop calling me that! I am Galra!”

As he said it, the white of his eyes flickered to a pale yellow, purple irises standing out even more than before. His canines became more pronounced and Shiro backed away in surprise.

Steve had never talked about his wife’s genealogy, for all he knew, Keith could have actually been part Galra. He was quickly realizing there was so much he didn’t know about the person Keith had become. He wanted Keith to remember so badly, but he couldn’t force it. Shiro took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and backed out of the room. This was the most progress they had made to date, but it couldn’t be rushed.

Keith didn’t come out of his room for the whole next day and as concerned as Shiro was, he didn’t try and disturb him. One thing still remained true about Keith: he was stubborn as hell, and would only do things when he was ready. Shiro left both breakfast and lunches at the door, but they remained untouched. Keith didn’t make an appearance until dinner and it happened in a flash as Keith’s other escape attempts always had.

Shiro was humming to himself as he made them dinner. He didn’t even hear Keith approach from behind, but that was Keith’s specialty, being an assassin and all. Keith hit the back of Shiro’s knees and luckily Shiro had reacted quickly so he didn’t face plant into the hot stove. He rounded on Keith who was now holding the knife he’d been using.

“You may have beat me every other time, but it won’t happen. I’ll make sure you can’t follow me and I’ll escape.”

The desperation was clear in Keith’s voice and Shiro hated that Keith sounded so unhappy here. But, he couldn’t let Keith win. As he always did, Shiro lowered his center of gravity and prepared to face off again. There was a sense of dread growing each time he had thwarted one of Keith’s escape attempts, but he couldn’t afford to think about it right now. He had to focus.

“ _Poor you_ , no information, no bounty collected. I’ll teach you the consequences of keeping a Galra chained up like some animal.” Keith struck, knife first, but Shiro dodged, expecting the blow. Shiro could have, and almost did try to stun Keith, but then he noticed the blood running down his neck. Apparently he had wanted to escape so badly he clawed the device out.

“Ke—Akira, I’m sorry about that, but I _need_ you to find my friend.” Shiro really did feel bad for keeping Keith as his prisoner, but after last night, they were getting close. Even if it was in a dream, Keith had remembered something. He knew now that spending time together again, talking about them was making a difference. But also, Keith was unhappy, he wasn’t blind, he saw that. Maybe he shouldn’t be fighting Keith’s way of life, but trying to live alongside him. Being with Keith was all that mattered right? Yet...he had also told Keith’s father if he found him, he’d bring them back to Earth.

Keith was getting better a sparring, he was changing up his style and quite a few times he caught Shiro of guard. This was one of those times, he faked an upper body attack and swiped with his foot, knocking Shiro on his back. He took the opportunity and straddled Shiro, pinning him down. In a swift movement, he pressed the knife against Shiro’s throat stopping him from moving, his other hand pinning Shiro’s arms above his head. For the first time, Keith looked down into Shiro’s and eyes and Shiro actually looked scared. Good. He’d finally bested his captor.

“I know you’re only trying to find your friend, and you’re a good fighter. It’d be a shame to kill you, but I can’t have you following me or reporting my location to the Alteans.” Keith went to slit Shiro’s throat in an act of mercy to give him a quick death, but Shiro managed to free one of his hands and knocked Keith’s arm. The blade slipped and instead of cutting skin, it slashed through the collar of Shiro’s t-shirt. The top half of the shirt flapped open, revealing a line of red, five pointed stars. Keith gasped and dropped the knife immediately. He knew those stars, they were the same that lined his collarbone, except his were black.

“What are those?” Keith demanded, yelling the question at Shiro. He pulled off his own shirt so he could show Shiro his mark. “Why—tell me why are they in the exact same place as mine!”

Keith had backed off a bit allowing Shiro to sit up a bit, but he still didn’t let him up. Shiro’s lip trembled seeing those stars on Keith’s skin. He hadn’t seen that mark since they were kids and he never thought he’d see them again. Not in this way. He reached up to touch them, but Keith immediately slapped his hand away.

“Tell me!”

“It’s an Earthling soulmate mark. Red represents you and black represent me.”

Keith glared down at Shiro, more trying to figure everything out than to intimidate him. Then he remembered Shiro talking about soulmates the other day. They had matching marks in the exact same spot...but that would mean… Keith sucked in a sharp breath as he started to piece everything together. He knew already, he had probably known last night, but he had been denying it.

“You’re not keeping me captive because you’re looking for your friend, are you? Steven was a made up name...I’m Steven, aren’t I?” Keith chose his words carefully and clenched his hands so they would stop shaking.

“You are. Steven is actually your middle name, named for your father. Keith Steven Kogane.”

“No” Keith stood up, snarling his words down at Shiro. “You’re lying to manipulate me. I’m Galra.”

“But you look human?” Shiro raised an eyebrow, not really trying to mock Keith in any way, but trying to help him understand.

Keith instinctively traced the Galra mark on his face and swallowed thickly. “I-I’m half-Galra, so many of us are half breeds, I’m not the only one.”

Shiro chose his words carefully, knowing that Keith was very shaken up right now. He didn’t want to send him into a downward spiral. He finally didn’t have to lie if he did this right. “You do know you’re human right? How did you get to the Galra planet?”

“I…” Keith pressed his lips together as he tried to think how to answer. “I don’t...my memories before age eleven—before I went into assassin training—are fuzzy. I don’t remember.” He looked down at his own chest and then over at Shiro’s, eyes tracing their marks still trying to figure everything out. “They told me they found Galra in my bloodline...my mother, but she disappeared.”

Shiro nodded, still not saying much so Keith could catch up at his own pace. There wasn’t much that needed to be said. Keith was really starting to piece everything together, but now he just needed to accept it for himself. He actually was very clever and was too smart to sit in denial for too long. He was too rational for that.

Keith’s lip trembled and he stood up, finally let Shiro completely free. He took one long, shuddering breath as a single tear rolled down his cheek. “...So that dream last night of the Galra capturing me...that wasn’t something you did.”

“I never did anything other than tell you stories about our childhood.” Shiro finally spoke up, finally saying those words.

A violent shudder climbed up Keith’s body, starting at the base of his spine and shaking through his shoulders. There was pure terror forming in Keith’s beautiful purple eyes at the very thought of this dream. Shiro hated that those beautiful eyes could be filled with so much fear he couldn’t do anything to stop it. There was a part of him that threatened to start spiraling with guilt all over again, but he couldn’t let himself go there. Not now. Not when he was about to actually make real progress.

He took a minute and slowly started to talk about it. “I didn’t understand where I was. I was alone at first and then the sky opened up like some crazy apocalyptic type thing. A spaceship, a Galra one appeared in the sky like it had teleported from somewhere. I know it’s a Galra ship, but the me of the dream doesn’t recognize it. I’m scared and I don’t know why.”

Keith swallowed, pausing, and trying to keep himself calm. Now that he was saying everything out loud to Shiro it starts to all make sense. That makes him even more afraid, but he is now determined to know the truth. “Then a tractor beam pulls me up into the ship, I’m screaming, trying to escape, but I can’t. I’m screaming a name, but the me watching it from above doesn’t know who it is. I get into the ship and all I hear is,“t’s him”. That was one of the flashes. That’s how I got to the Galra planet, isn’t?”

Finally, Shiro has the part of the story he’d always been missing. “So you really were abducted... I knew it. I tried to tell the police, anyone who would listen that you had been abducted, but they laughed in my face. Told me I was just a kid. The only one who had ever believed me was your father. He supported my mission to come find you.” He unconsciously traced the stars with finger tips. “I should have been there. I was supposed to protect you, my mom told me that what soulmates do and I failed.”

Keith watched Shiro’s fingers and he could almost fear a whisper of that touch on his own skin. His captor looked so broken and he wanted to do something. “The Galra...abducted me…” He had said it out loud for the first time and that made it all the more real. The pieces all fit. He had no memories before the age of eleven, he had a dream he never understood, and worked for an empire he knew was bad. Before he had been a victim of his fate. He was Galra, and his only choice was to work for the empire.

But now, that wasn’t his everything. He was human, he had a whole other life outside of that horrid planet. He had another choice and apparently a soulmate who would risk everything just to come save him. Even if he didn’t remember him. It was all too much. All he wanted to do right now was collapse into bed, stop his shaking hands, and think. Keith opened his mouth and the most defeated sounding words escaped, “you don’t have to lock me up anymore. I won’t escape.”

He opened the bedroom door and slammed it closed after him, falling onto the bed. He didn’t have a home to return to anymore. He didn’t have anything. All he could do was try to piece everything together. Apparently he had Shiro, but that man out there was still a stranger. That man was waiting for the ‘real Keith’ to return and he just wasn’t that person. The more he thought about it, replaying the stories Shiro had told him in his mind, the more they became real. They almost felt like his own, but not, just an unfamiliar, haunting dream.

Living with Galra, going through assassin training had been lonely. Being at the top wasn’t any fun when he had to stand alone, but he convinced himself he didn’t need anyone. The only person who had looked out for him had been Kolivan. Keith liked to pretend that Kolivan had been his real father, but maybe that was a lie now too. Kolivan maybe only cared because he was told to.

Being lied to, deceived, for half his life was the loneliest part of it all.

“Keith wait! You’re bleeding! Please let me fix it.” Shiro grabbed the first aid kit from under the sink and ran after, easing the door open. Keith was still shaken up, he had to tread carefully.

Keith nodded and sat up so the blood would stop rushing to his neck. In the shock of everything, he had forgotten the wound he caused. Shiro sat down next to him, this being the closest they had sat this whole time. Keith felt Shiro’s expectations for him pouring out in waves. He was the one Shiro had risked everything for, the one who had done all those things and yet that’s not who he was anymore. He didn’t even wince when Shiro had injected him with novocaine.

He took a careful, shaky breath, trying not disturb the stitches Shiro was administering to his neck. “What if I’m nothing like him? I know you want that Keith back, but I don’t know I can be that. I still don’t get why I was worth saving. I can’t live up to your expectations.”

Keith’s words broke Shiro’s heart and he pressed his lips together in a thin line to stop himself from getting emotional. “Then we’ll work it out,” he responded after collecting himself, “that’s what soulmates do. Your mark is still there after all this time. That’s how I knew you still out there, my mark didn’t fade in the slightest.”

Those words rendered Keith speechless and he didn’t quite know how to react. All this time, he’d been alone, no real friends, no family, but actually Shiro had been searching for him. It was more real now that the stories were about him, but he still couldn’t feel it. Not truly.


	5. Nowhere to Run

Shiro swore he was making progress every day. Keith resented him less and less. They were becoming friends and Shiro thought, even without his old memories he and Keith could start over. He’d been putting too much pressure on Keith to be ‘his old self’, when Keith just couldn’t be that anymore. He was still the same Keith, but he was also the half-Galra who stood in front of him. After learning that he’d been captured—abducted, really, Keith didn’t really want to go back to the Galra and refused to go by Akria. That was their name for him, not real name. He would no longer work for someone who had stolen his life. He started to remember little things and at times, it almost felt like they were the Shiro and Keith from eleven years ago. 

There was a sudden pounding on the cabin door that startled Shiro and Keith’s eyes grew in panic. Before he could even get up to answer it, the door was kicked in by an Altean soldier. Shiro immediately put himself between Keith and the door. He slipped him the keys to his spaceship, silently telling him to go. He couldn’t bear seeing Keith get arrested or killed. Shiro would gladly take that bullet any day. The Keith from his childhood would fight until the end, he would never leave Shiro’s side. 

This Keith, Shiro wasn’t so sure and that’s what broke his heart the most. This Keith would probably leave without a second thought. He felt the keys leave his fingers and pressed his lips together in an effort to stay calm. He knew now that it was only a matter of time until someone had found their little oasis. He knew someone would be looking for him after he went off grid. Also, Earth was still too far and was in a neutral zone, but he didn’t want to take Keith there against his will. 

“Shiro, after you accepted the hit and didn’t come back, I put a hit out on you.” Shiro’s heart stopped for a moment when he recognized one voice among the faceless sentries. They parted and in walked Lance, not in his normal army green jacket and jeans, but in a full Altean uniform. It was like looking into the face of stranger. 

Lance’s face was solemn and he tired to keep all emotion from his features, but his eyes gave him away. “I didn’t know how else to find you. I’m sorry, but I had to.” It was breaking his heart to have to turn his friend in, but it had to be done. He knew Shiro probably had some complicated past with the Garla, but Lance couldn’t turn a blind anymore. Even for the one person who saw him as more than a elite. Shiro had been one of the few who didn’t try and use him for his nobility. It never seemed right to use something he’d only been born into. Yet, now he had to. 

“I put the pieces together and realized you were hiding Akira. I don’t know why, but Shiro, you know he is responsible for killing our—my people. I know you’re not Altean, but you’ve lived with us, you know what he’s done. Imagine if he came to Earth and attacked your people.” 

While he hated doing this to Shiro, the anger, the betrayal he felt just looking at Keith overtook everything. Why did Shiro choose this  _ monster  _ over the people who had given him a home? The ones who took Shiro in when he was lost and had nothing. If anything Shiro had betrayed him. 

Lance let out a sigh, “With this, you’ve been branded a traitor. I’m disappointed that I took a chance on you, an outsider, and you let me down.”

“No! I won’t let you take him. I’ll become an enemy of Altea before that happens.” He turned and saw that Keith still hadn’t left. He still had the keys in his hands, but he was frozen in place. He looked confused as if he was still trying to figure out why Shiro would risk everything for him. 

“Why? Who is he to you?” Lance demanded, just trying to understand what would drive Shiro to throw everything away for a  _ Galra _ . 

Shiro didn’t answer, there wasn’t time to explain everything. He was still too focused why Keith hadn’t taken the chance to leave. 

“Well, I hate to say it, but you’re under arrest, Shiro. I’ll try and get you a lesser sentence for your service to Altea, but I can’t guarantee it.” At Lance’s words the guards moved forward and Shiro backed up, pushing Keith toward the rear door with his body. He tried to fight back, but it did nothing, the guards overpowered Shiro and cuffed him. 

“Keith! Go! I can’t lose you again!” 

All Keith could do was watch as the man he barely knew sacrificed himself for him. Why? It just didn’t add up in any way. Sure, apparently he had meant everything to Shiro at one point, but he wasn’t that person anymore. He’d forgotten him a long time ago. This version of him wasn’t worth saving. 

A sudden burning sensation flared up on the left side of his collarbone. It felt like his skin was on fire, but there was no flames and no damage to his shirt. It was as if time stopped and memories flooded back to him. 

_ “I don’t care what you do, you’ll never break me! Takashi will come for me. He will always come, as many times as it takes!”  _

He had screamed that at a guard after a particularly hard day of training and torture. Back then, he really believed that and now he was seeing it in front of his eyes. Suddenly all the stories Shiro had told him about the boy from his past, the Keith from Earth felt real. He no longer felt empty when he thought about them. Keith remembered chasing after Shiro, following him everywhere like a shadow. They had spent hours playing together under the summer sun until their parents would call them in for dinner. 

But, he also remembered waking up in a holding cell screaming for Shiro every night. He remembered going through years of training and injections until all he remembered was that he was half Galra and would work for them now. He had become a horrible person and Shiro still came for him anyway. Shiro never stopped believing that the ‘good’ Keith was still in there. 

Now Shiro was being taken away by the people he served just because he tried to help his soulmate. He now knew what those black stars meant. He knew why Shiro had the matching set in red. They were always meant to find each other. No. He couldn’t run, he couldn’t let Shiro get taken in his place. He would answer for his crimes, not Shiro. 

Keith dropped the keys and threw down the weapon in his hand. “No. I won’t run. If you’re going to get arrested, so will I. I know what I did. Remember what you used to say to me? ‘You will never be alone, Keith. I’m right here.’” Keith paused to place his hand over his soulmark. “I will never give up on you, Takashi.” 

_ T-Takashi! He called me Takashi...he hasn’t since we were kids. HE REMEMBERS!  _

“KEITH!” He yelled reaching out to him, but the guards had dragged him out. 

“You never gave up on me. Not even once.” Keith called after him as he was cuffed and dragged out by the Altean guards too. Lance had watched the whole exchange go down and he was stunned. Keith was Galra, he should have escaped when he had the chance, but he didn’t. It was starting to make sense. They had a connection that spanned beyond a Galran and Earthling living as an Altean. Suddenly he wanted it all to stop. He was hurting his friend and arresting him because he was in love. He should have never come. Maybe he could argue their case to the royal court. 

Right now Shiro wouldn’t even look at him and he did nothing as he and Keith were both locked up in the Battalion’s holding cell. He tried to catch Shiro’s eyes before going off to pilot the ship, but Shiro didn’t see him. He refused to see him. Lance went to the bridge and silently promised Shiro that he would make things right again. He would liberate Shiro from living in hiding. 

“Keith. I’m sorry it took so long, I’m sorry I couldn’t get you sooner. I’m sorry I made you wait eleven years. Earth’s technology is way behind everything out here. I had to graduate school and get my pilot’s license before I could even get close to space.” All Shiro wanted to do was pull Keith into his arms, but the cuffs were stopping them. 

“You couldn’t have possibly known where I was taken.” Keith smiled a little, “I’m sorry it took so long, but I’m back.” 

Shiro smiled at him too, feeling the warmth of nostalgia coursing through his veins. “It’s good to have you back.” 

“It’s good to be back.” Keith face fell after he said that and he swallowed, looking down at his hands. “If this is really our last moment together, Takashi, I love you.” Keith lifted his head so he could make eye contact with Shiro, there were tears in his eyes and Keith realized Shiro felt the same. “I think I always have.” 

“Me too. I love you too Keith.” They both stepped as close as they possibly could and intertwined their fingers. In that moment, it felt as if everything around them had gone still. They weren’t in a Altean ship, they weren’t prisoners, they weren’t even an assassin and a bounty hunter. They were just Shiro and Keith, finally together once again. They both looked up into each other’s eyes and lingered for a moment, just like that. The words they could never say, the joy at being together again, expressed in that one look. Shiro had been waiting so long for this moment and leaned down, connecting their lips in their second ever kiss. 

They kissed once when they were eight and nine, after really realizing what soulmates were. They both pretended to be grossed out, but they both knew even if they were too young, it was right. 

Now, it was more than right, it was supposed to happen this way, after being separated for so long. The kiss was packed with emotions of longing, desperation, and even a bit of fear. They didn’t know what would happen when they landed, so they kissed each other like the word was ending. In a way, maybe it was if they were separated. 

“You grew your hair out.” Keith whispered as he pulled away to get a good look at Shiro. They had been together for the past month, but now that he truly remembered Shiro, it was like he was seeing him for the first time today. 

Shiro smiled and he would have tucked the few stray strands behind his ear if he could. “You always liked long hair.” 

Those words sent a shiver down Keith’s spine and painted a smile on his face. He really had been lucky he had Shiro. Everything Shiro had done was for him even down to how he wore his hair. “Well, it looks good on you. It looks so soft.” 

“Lance knows a lot about skin and hair care. He taught me a few things.” Shiro had said his friend’s name so casually, but at the moment, it also felt sharp coming off his tongue. He knew what Lance had done was right for Altea, but it also hurt knowing his only true friend in space would betray him so easily. Then again, he knew it had to have been a hard decision to make. Lance wanted to follow his heart, but also lived by the logic in his head as well. In the case of Keith, he knew those two strands intertwined. 

Lance’s head would tell him Keith was evil and deserved to pay for his crimes. Shiro really couldn’t argue with that one. Yet, he did know better than anyone that Keith hadn’t been himself, he’d been following the rules he’d been taught. Lance’s heart probably told him to let his friend go, and he probably wrestled with the decision to come turn them in. Also in his heart was the pain of losing friends peers to assassins like Keith. He was upset, but he couldn’t blame Lance, not truly. 


	6. One Last Time

As soon as the ship landed on Altea, Lance walked up to the first. His face was melancholy and serious and so unlike him. In this moment, Shiro missed the rebellious noble he’d gotten to know. The one who never really felt like he belonged in the royal city and did the work of a commoner. In this moment he was forced to do the work of nobles because, logically, Lance couldn’t just let Keith walk. 

Lance refused to look at Keith, but regarded Shiro with a sad smile, his eyes unreadable to Shiro. They housed a complicated mix of emotions and maybe even a sliver of regret for what he had been forced to do. “Take them to see King Alfor.” His sentence was short and to the point, signaling to Shiro that something was off, something was wrong, but Lance couldn’t turn back now. 

The guards pointed guns at Shiro and Keith as they unlocked the cell, but neither even tried to resist. Shiro was terrified in that moment that this would be his last with Keith. He had come all this way, saved Keith, the boy he’d searched the universe for, just to separate now. He had just gotten Keith back and now he was about to lose him. He wanted to cry, he wanted to scream, he wanted to fight the guards and escape again, but he couldn’t do that. Not this time. He was done running. 

All he could think of now, was at least he got to see  _ his  _ Keith one last time before they faced their fate. 

The guards forced Keith and Shiro to their knees in front of the throne and neither put up a fight. Lance stood in front of them and bowed as Princess Allura approached them first. “Shiro, I have to say, I’m disappointed in you. You were one of our best bounty hunters, we, Alteans, took you in and you betrayed us.” 

“And you, Akira, you’ve killed twelve Altean nobles and countless guards.” Alfor said, stepping forward, using the Galra version of Keith’s name in a purposeful manner. 

Keith looked down at the blue carpet below them, guilt was radiating from him in waves. “I’ll never be able to express how much I regret my actions against Altea. It was like I was sleeping for the last ten years until Shiro came and woke me up. I deserve whatever punishment you have for me.” 

“Your apology does mean something to us, but your crimes are inexcusable. You’ll be sentenced to—”

“Don’t. Please, you can’t send them into Cyro-sleep.” The doors of the throne room burst open and a new, female voice joined them. Lance seemed as confused as Shiro was, but Keith looked at her with wide, curious eyes. A Galra had walked into the royal quarters like it was nothing, almost like she had been here before. 

“Krolia. I’m sorry, but this is official Altean business, you can’t be here.” Alfor spoke to her like he knew her, even called his name. Shiro could feel Keith’s interest and confusion as if it were hovering around him like cloud. 

“I understand that, but Shiro is part of the blade, he has alway been. It was planned for the beginning for him to end up with the Alteans. We, I, as the leader, assigned him to rescue Keith. To bring him back here, but they feared your judgement. I have to admit, the reason I worked to become leader was for Keith. I needed someone to help me take down the Galra’s best assassin and Shiro was the only one who could do it. I’m the only one who knew about Shiro.” 

Shiro knew nothing of this, but kept his face even and his mouth shut. Whatever this Garla woman, Krolia, was trying to do, it was to benefit them in some way. As Shiro watched her talk he couldn't place it, but there was something so familiar about her. She turned to look at him when she said his name and Shiro had to bite back a gasp. It was the eyes, her hair, and even the markings on her face, were so strikingly similar to Keith. He remembered Keith saying his mother was Galra, maybe this was her? It wouldn’t be a long shot, she had just come in to save them. 

“Keith couldn’t have woken up from the trance without Shiro. They’re Earthling soulmates, fated to be together even if they don’t choose a romantic path. Separating them, like the Galra did, is a fate worse than death.” 

Keith had been doing well, but he couldn’t keep his mouth shut any longer. Who was this and how did she know everything about them? Right now, he didn’t care if this sealed their fate, he had to know. He felt Shiro dig his foot into his calf to tell him to be quiet, but he wouldn't listen. Not now. 

“How do you know all of this?” 

Krolia turned to Keith and gave him the softest smile in the whole world. She looked at him as if he was sun and she was the Earth. “I left you once, Keith, I can’t ever do that again. I promised your father I’d bring you back to him.”    
  
Shiro had been right, but this wasn’t his moment, it was Keith’s, and he deserved it. 

“...you’re my mother?” Keith would have reached up and traced the mark on his face, so similar to hers. 

“Yes. I had to leave to make sure the Galra wouldn’t find you because of me. I’m sorry it didn’t work, but I’ve been doing everything I can to fight them from the inside out. Steve and I have  been in contact for years. He’s the reason Shiro came to save you.”    
  
All this time, Shiro knew Mr. Kogane had been very supportive of his dreams to become a pilot and never gave up on Keith either. They were the only ones who believed Keith was still alive. Of course, he pushed so hard for Shiro become a pilot. He’d been the father Shiro never had, but it had been always, all for Keith. That unwavering support that Steve held for him, was true expression of what he could never do for Keith. Shiro felt so happy about that, Keith had a family, and just maybe they could be together again. His heart was swelling with happiness for his soulmate even if they were about to face their worst punishment. He’d do it all over again just for Keith to have this moment. 

Keith was stunned and fell into silence. He didn’t know what to feel. Everything was swelling inside of him like a storm and it was only a matter of time until the rain poured. On one hand he was thrilled his mother hadn’t intentionally abandoned him. On the other, he was upset that they had kept their communication a secret from him all this time. He had a mother, a mother from an alien planet, who had apparently betrayed her own race just to free him. 

Alfor finally spoke up again, “Krolia, I can see now that this a conflict of interest for you and while I do appreciate everything the Blade had done for us, I simply can’t afford to let them go free.”    
  
“That wasn’t my intention your highness. Banish them from both Altea and Garla, they’ll go back to Earth and if they ever return, then you can sentence them. Earth still remains in the neutral zone and I will go with them to make sure they never return. I will also personally make sure Earth  _ stays  _ a neutral zone.” 

Lance had been watching this in silence from the sidelines the whole time. It was all so unbelievable, and yet not at the same time. Shiro had become his friend, but hidden everything about Keith from him the whole time. Yet, based on how he the first time reacted, he didn’t quite blame Shiro. Once again, he got the feeling in the pit of his stomach that this was wrong. He had to say something. He had made a huge mistake. 

He watched Alfor’s face and from what he got, his decision wasn’t changed. Alfor was a kind and generous man, but he was also bound by Altean law. That, and above all, he was Altean, and in his heart, couldn’t forgive the slaughtering of his own people.    
  
“Sir, I agree with Krolia. I know killing our own people is inexcusable, but from I’ve gathered, Keith was brainwashed. He didn’t do any of the killing of his own volition and Shiro was only trying to save the man he loved. I can’t morally stand for the punishment you’re prepared to give them.” 

Shiro smiled a little, proud that Lance had also stood up for them and that his morality won out over his lawful conscious. He was Altean so his words carried a great deal more weight than Krolia’s ever could. He saw a slight change in the King’s features and his heart jumped into his throat. They would finally get to go home. He’d see his mother again. He tried his hardest not get his hopes up, but he saw the same hope dawn on Keith’s face, coupled with his complete astonishment. 

“In a way, banishing them for life is a lot like our way of putting them into Cryo-sleep. Either way, they won’t be able to come back. Krolia will make sure the Galra never gets their hands on Keith again. I’m sure the Blade will come to defend Earth if the danger off that ever happens.” 

Finally, Alfor’s face softened and he looked to his daughter who nodded in agreement. “All right. We can accept that. You both are banned from Altea for life and banished to Earth.” Alfor nodded to them once and left the throne room. Krolia, you will watch over them to make sure they never return. We do need to make sure Earth _stays_ a neutral party.” 

“You’ll be in charge of their departure, Sir McClain. It was very noble of you to stand up for your friend as you did. Loyalty like that won’t be forgotten.” Allura gave him a small smile and followed her father out. 

Shiro looked up at Lance with disbelief and tears in his eyes. “Lance, thank you. If you ever come to Earth, I owe you one.” 

Keith bowed his head. Even if he despised him for turning them in, he owned Lance his life. “Thank you for me too, I—” 

“I didn’t do it for you.” Lance looked down at Keith and cut him off with an icy tone. 

“Right.” Keith couldn’t quite say he anticipated any sort of forgiveness from the Alteans, nor did he deserve it. They got up on Lance’s command and followed him out to the Royal City’s main hanger. Lance chose a pod for them and typed in a set of coordinates. 

“This ship can only go where it is programmed. These coordinates will take you back to Earth.” He reached down and unlocked their cuffs, smiling softly at Shiro. “It’s a shame we have to part like this. You really became one of my best friends, Shiro.” 

“Thank you again, for sticking up for me. Good luck with the Princess.” 

Lance smiled at Shiro’s comment and sniffed a little. “Just you wait, one day maybe I will be the new King of Altea.” 

“You’re on your way to actually acting like a noble. You showed that today. I gotta say, I’m going to miss the prissy bounty hunter you were though.” Shiro returned the smile.

“Me too. Goodbye Shiro…” Lance lingered a bit more than necessary. No more words needed to be said. He knew in that moment, they were both reliving the moments they had together, laughing, and going on missions. Shiro had taught him to be more than his status and to fight for the things he believed in. For that, Lance was forever changed. Even if he would never see Shiro again, he was grateful. 

Lance finally stepped away and glared at Keith “He risked everything to save you. You better treat him right, Keith.” 

Keith looked over at Shiro, giving him the most appreciative, soft smile he could manage. “Believe me, I know.” 

Lance still hated what Keith had done, but that look was undeniable. He knew Shiro would be taken care of, and he had to be happy to see Shiro happy. All this time, he’d really only been seeing the ghost of Shiro. He knew now, what he had seen at the shack and in the throne room was the real Shiro. His only regret was not being able to see it sooner. Maybe in another lifetime, they’d get another chance. 

Finally, he regarded Krolia. She was the hope that the Galra weren’t all bad, they were capable of change. Without her, Shiro would have basically been dead. “Krolia, thank you and good luck.” Lance shut the door and waved at Shiro one last time before he launched it into space. 

This was the end of the longest chapter in Shiro’s life, but it was also the beginning of a new, better one. In that moment, that the best parts were now ahead of them. The journey back gave Keith time to bond with his mother and they came to understanding. She told them how she had originally been sent to Earth as scout for the Galra, but her ship crashed. She was stranded, but rescued by a kind Earthling named Steve. They fell in love and were both given the best gift they could have asked for, Keith. Finally Keith had been reunited with the mother he deserved and Shiro finally realized where Keith’s rebel nature came from.


	7. Do You Remember

Just like it had happened all those years ago, Steve was awoken by light streaming across the sky. He jumped out of bed, threw on the nearest set of clothes and chased the light in his truck. A nostalgic feeling rose in his chest, but this time he hoped this light wouldn’t just bring his wife, but his son too. He’d been waiting so long for this day and he hoped it wasn’t some stray meteorite. 

The landing shook the ground and landed in the forest behind their houses. It was deep enough that no one could find it unless, they had already known what they were looking for. Steve drove his truck as far as it would take him and continued on foot. His heart beat echoed at the same pace as his boots slapping against the dirt. Hope pushed him forward and kept all doubts away from his mind. There was a reason this had happened so close to his house. He was meant to find them again. 

In the center of the forest stood a brilliant white and blue ship, landed perfectly this time, instead of crashed. He couldn’t tear his eyes away as the hatch opened and it was Keith that stepped out first. Steve’s lips trembled and even though his boy was no longer a child, but a young man, he’d recognize him anywhere. There was a split second of regret in his heart that he had missed his own son growing up, but it was quickly replaced by the joy of having him again. 

“KEITH!” 

Keith turned and saw his father’s face illuminated by the flashlight in his hand. “Dad!” Tears were streaming down his face as he ran to close the gap between them. He flung himself into his father’s arms and relief finally washed over him like a cooling, cleansing wave. Having Shiro back was one thing, but having his family made him feel whole in a way he never dreamed he’d be again. 

Krolia watched her husband and son embracing with tears in her eyes. She hadn’t felt like this since Keith had been born. She had left him so soon and almost saved him from the universe, but the Galra had been too powerful. At times, she never thought this would happen, never thought they would all be together again, but even then she never gave up. 

Steve pulled back to give Keith a chance to breathe and his eyes found his wife. She was standing there, not looking like she had aged even a single day. Still as beautiful as they day he had met her. “...Krolia, my love.” He didn’t waste more than a minute and pulled her into arms, kissing her with the passion he’d been holding inside him for half a lifetime. 

Keith smiled, wrapping his arms around Shiro’s waist as he watched his parents’ reunion. “Normally seeing my parents kissing would be gross, but they haven’t seen each other in about twenty years, so I’ll make an exception.”    
  
Shiro smiled and let out a little chuckle through his nose. It was really sweet that they were finally home again, and made him excited to see his mother again. It had been over two years since he’d been on Earth and he hoped she was still waiting for him. If he had learned anything here, it was that family could never forget. 

“Shiro, son, I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for my family.” Steve placed a hand on Shiro’s shoulder in just the way he’d always done with Keith.    
  
Krolia nodded, smiling at Shiro with all the grace and gratefulness she could put into the expression. “We couldn’t have done this without you. We owe you everything. If there’s anything you ever need, we will all be here for you.”   
  
Shiro placed a hand over his soulmate mark and shook his head. “I would have done anything to bring Keith home again. Thank you to both of you for supporting and believing in me.” 

“Stop. You’re making me sound like a lame Disney Princess that needed saving. Like that one your mother used to read to us, the one with that princess trapped in a tower? Rapunzel? I would have rescued myself if I could!” 

They all looked at Keith and laughed. No doubt Keith would have come back to his family, but it did take Shiro to wake him up again. Only Shiro could do that. He was so happy in this moment that Keith remembered that. “You missed the new movie that came out about her. It’s actually Rapunzel that saves the guy in the end.” 

“Speaking of your mother, you should go see her, Shiro. Emi has been waiting for you. She never believed the news and hoped you’d come home one day.”  

Shiro really couldn’t have asked for a better mother. She had always been supportive even if she wasn’t thrilled that he wanted become a pilot. Still, she quietly let him follow his dreams, following in his father’s footsteps. He knew he was finding Keith again, even if he could never explain that to her. The only thing he regretted was making her go through losing another family member to a pilot accident. Now, he would come home like she always dreamed. 

Steve had driven them back to their houses and a few tears streamed down his face as he looked at his house. It still stood there with it’s pale cream exterior and blue shutters. That shade of royal blue now reminded him a bit of Lance and he felt a little sad, but mostly grateful to have known him. He took a deep breath and carefully unlocked the front door. As he stepped inside he was surprised how similar everything had looked. It was almost as if he had never left. 

At the sound of the front door, Emi had woken up and come running to the entryway. Only Steve and Shiro had a set of keys to the house. Of course late night, lingering sleep, filled hope told her it was the latter. She sucked in a surprised breath at the sight of her son standing just inside the doorway. He was taller than she remembered, but he still Shiro. 

“Shirogane Takashi. How dare you worry your poor mother like that?” 

Shiro broke out into a wide grin as she pulled him into a hug. “I’m home momma.” 

“Don’t you ever leave me again.” She leaned her head into his chest and hugged him as tightly as he could stand.    
  
“I won’t. I found him, so I don’t have any reason to leave again.” 

Emi pulled back in surprise, still holding onto his arms, so she could look at him in the eyes. “Keith?”    
  
“Yes, it’s a long story and you’ll probably have to see them to believe it, but I brought Keith home.”    
  
Her son looked happier than he had in years and that was worth their time apart. “I should have believed you always would. If your father could have returned home, he would have, every time. You got that from him. It’s good to have you back, Takashi.”    
  
“It’s good to be back, Momma.” 

* * *

Shiro walked across the street with a smile on his face, wearing his best jeans and even a tie. His mother insisted he look proper for dates and Shiro didn’t protest in the slightest. The night they had came home, the two of them promised to start over, to go on dates like they would have if they hadn’t been separated. Sure, they both could have moved out of their parents houses and gotten an apartment together, but they weren’t ready for that. Neither were their parents. They had just all reunited, they were going to milk a normal life as long as they could.

Steve greeted Shiro at the door when he knocked and invited him in. “Come in son, Keith will be down in a minute.” 

As if on cue, Keith was walking down the stairs in a trademark Kogane red flannel and Shiro thought he had never looked more handsome. He kissed his mother on the cheek before walking over to Shiro. 

“You’ll have him home at ten, you hear?” Steve asked, addressing Shiro. 

“Dad. Are you kidding me? I’m twenty-one, not sixteen.” Keith groaned, throwing his head back in annoyance. 

“Oh, right, then eleven.” 

“Dad!” 

“I’m kidding. I never got to do this when you were a kid. Just take care of him, Shiro.” 

Keith rolled his eyes, “It would be funny if you didn’t do it every time.” 

“Of course, Mr. Kogane, I’ll have him home safe.” Shiro smiled and shook Steve’s hand before Keith pulled him out the door. 

“You two are so lame.” 

“What?” 

“It’s not like you’re trying to impress my father, he already loves you.” 

Shrio shrugged and opened the passenger side door for Keith. “I know, but he always looks so happy when I play along with him.” 

Keith smiled and got into the truck. He loved when Shiro did little chivalrous things like that because they made him feel special and loved. It was something that he didn’t doubt his father had taught Shiro. Steve had always been the best example of Southern hospitality and chivalry. Growing up, Steve been as much of a father to Shiro as Emi had been a mother to Keith. It was probably why Shiro had acted like such a big brother toward him back then. Now, Emi had barely batted an eye at Keith’s mother’s appearance and welcomed Krolia into the family like she’d always been a part of it. 

“What are you thinking about?” 

Shiro’s words broke through Keith’s thoughts and he just realized how quiet he had been. “Your mother. I used to wish she really had been my mother when we were kids. I really never thanked her enough for being my second mother.” 

“She knows, but I’m glad you have Krolia now. I used to think you were a lot like your father, but now I see how many things you get from Krolia too.” 

“Like what?”

“Besides your crazy hair and beautiful eyes, your rebellious, risk-taking nature. You’d do anything to save someone you love. I bet Krolia was like you when she was young. Always with some sort cut from trying something a bit dangerous. You’re both so brave and fearless. Yet, you are kind, gentle, and honest like your father too.” Shiro smiled warmly at Keith as he pulled up to their favorite diner. 

Like he had done earlier, Shiro opened every door for Keith and they found their favorite booth, tucked away in the back corner. It was cheesy, but the both ordered burgers, fries, and a chocolate milkshake to share. They never cared how typical of a date scenario it was because that’s what they were aiming for. They had missed twelve years of this and were planning to make up for it as best as they could. 

“How are your classes going?” 

Keith shrugged and sighed, “The gen eds suck, but I like all my writing classes. I sometimes hate being the oldest freshman and I wish I could have just gotten a job when we got back like you.” 

“Hey, I already went college and flight school. Not my fault, I got stuck here on Earth.” Shiro teased. 

“Yeah and you’re the best instructor, but I guess flying advanced Altean ships helped with that.” Keith returned his tease, but knew that Shiro now refused to fly for any purpose other than instruction. After what happened to his father, Shiro had no intention of becoming a pilot, but did it for Keith. They didn’t always talk about those things, but Keith knew they to be true without Shiro having to say anything.

“And you’re going to be the best book editor of whatever publishing company that hires you. I’m happy you get to do that know. Besides space, you always loved writing and science fiction.” 

It seemed surreal being back on Earth, and talking about things like work and classes, after all that had happened. It almost made everything feel like it wasn’t real, like he could pretend he’d grown up across the street from Shiro his whole life. Becoming friends, realizing the real meaning of soulmates, falling in love, going to school dances together, choosing the same college, and eventually getting married. Their parents would cry at the ceremony and Keith’s dad would claim he wasn’t crying. Maybe their vows would have been about them growing up as childhood friends and living their lives always by each other sides. 

That was the thing about reality though, it was never that picture perfect. Keith had that reminder on his face every day. If he hadn’t had been taken by the Galra, his mark may have never shown up, but he also may have never gotten to meet his mother. It was a double edged sword. Krolia had tried to save him from his fate, but he succumbed to it anyway. Maybe that was just his destiny. It was probably also he destiny to be an Earthling, to be born with a soulmate mark. To have the one person who fight to save him and bring him back home. 

Ever since the Galra brainwashing had worn off and he remembered everything, Keith had been kind of a mess. Shiro had years to feel what he did for Keith, years to dedicate to saving Keith, and Keith had only several months. It came back to him like a flood. The first two years of being in Galra captivity had been agony. He cried every night for Shiro, but only in the privacy of his own cell. Even at ten years old, he knew never to show weakness to his captors. If he hadn’t had those memories robbed from him, he would have tried to break out more times than he did. He would have torn every galaxy, maybe the whole universe, apart just to find Shiro again. 

“Do you remember when we used to do this all the time as kids? Sneaking out of the house, getting caught by my dad or your mom a few times, but it was worth it just to look at the stars, to see it with you.” Keith asked, looking up at the sky. After dinner they had gone to park between their houses to look at the stars. Those served as reminders of the mysteries that lie beyond what they could see. Just like stars, the universe was both equally beautiful and destructive. 

Shiro smiled, his heart swelling in his chest just listening to Keith recall their childhood memories. There was a time that he thought Keith would never remember, that they would never get to do this again. Every time, even now, when Keith said the words: ‘do you remember’ Shiro felt so much joy. “Yes, remember that one time your dad scolded you for scaring him and you said he didn’t have to worry because you with with me?” 

“‘Dad, I’m always safe when I’m with Kashi, that’s what soulmates are for’,” Keith finished for him as he always did. “Now that I think about it now, I wonder if he was so concerned about always knowing where I was because of my mom. Maybe they both knew feared the Galra would come looking for me? I know now that she went back to try and stop that. To try and keep the Galra from coming to Earth to recruit for their army.” 

“I know, it all makes sense now. You always loved the stars back then. You used to say that’d you’d be up there one day. You’d see the stars up close. Things were so innocent back then.” 

“They were. I didn’t know the real horrors that lied in space. Technology that could make forget everything, that could fabricate new memories to replace the unfavorable ones. I’m still terrified. Now that I know everything, I sometimes wish I never learned what was beyond our galaxy.” 

Shiro swallowed and felt his heart grow heavy in his chest with compassion for Keith. Tears formed in his eyes and he knew it wasn’t his fault Keith was taken, but he hated that Keith now remembered that year he spent all alone in space. Caged and tested like some sort of lab rat, only to cry out for Shiro in his dreams. Keith was only ten years old then. Nothing could ever restore that innocence. 

Keith looked over at Shiro, noticing that he went very quiet. He winced when he noticed the guilty expression painted onto Shiro’s face. “Takashi, I’m sorry. I was mostly thinking out loud, I didn’t mean to make you upset.” 

“It’s okay, Keith, I appreciate that you can talk about these things with me.” Shiro paused to take a deep breath and to keep the tears at bay. “I just...I hate that the Galra took away your innocence. That and there’s nothing I can do to help you get that back.” 

“Are you kidding me?” Keith sat up so he could properly look Shiro in the face. “‘Nothing you can do’? You did everything. You dedicated half of your life to come find me. You got through a pilot program in record time, got sent on a mission just so you could infiltrate an seemingly unknown space empire, you captured me even though I didn’t remember you, and you brought me back home. Not only that, but you found my mom and reunited my family. You never gave up on me, not once. Not even when I tried to kill you. So don’t you ever say ‘there’s nothing you can do’. I, I love you.” 

As Keith was talking, Shiro was blown away. He had this fierce, passionate way with is words when he got worked up about things. That was one thing that never went away even after all this time. Shiro was just reminded that no matter what he had gone through, yes he was changed, but Keith was still Keith. Still the young boy who loved getting into adventures, could be so tight lipped and aloof, but when he cared about something he would talk about it for hours. Keith’s voice broke slightly as he said ‘I love you’ and that was Shiro’s breaking point. The tears that slid down his cheeks were no longer broken and sad, but happy are relieved. 

Although Keith had told Shiro he loved him on Lance’s ship, this time he felt that Keith actually meant it. Before it was out of desperation, but now that some time had passed and they had time together, it was different. Shiro had always been in love with Keith, but now Keith had time to develop those feelings as an adult. He really understood the gravity of those three words and could actually mean them. Everything that Shiro had done for him had time to sink in and marinate. He didn’t just love Shiro because they were soulmates and they were supposed to feel that way. Being back on Earth and getting to actually go on dates had made everything real. Even if they weren’t soulmates, Keith would have loved Shiro anyway. 

“I’m sorry.” 

Keith smiled at Shiro, happy that they had finally talked about everything and that Shiro finally seemed to feel a little more at ease. “Damn right you are. No more feeling guilty.” 

Shiro held up his hands in surrender, “I promise.” 

He rolled over on his side to face Keith, and Keith did the same, always in sync even when they weren’t trying. Shiro just lay like that for a minute, his eyes drinking in every bit of Keith’s face so he could memorize it when he closed his them. Keith blushed a little under Shiro’s unwavering gaze, but didn’t move either. He also wanted to remember this moment forever.

He reached forward, running his hands through Shiro’s hair, feeling the silky strands sliding between his fingers. Long hair really did suit him and Keith loved it. Steve had made comments about how Shiro should cut it, liking a cleaner cut look, but Keith always adamantly protested. Eventually Shiro did get an undercut to appease both of them and Keith loved the two different textures even more. As a young boy, Keith had always been very tactile, using touch to ground himself, and it was always Shiro’s touch that helped the most. He was glad that through all of this, Keith hadn’t lost that. 

Shiro smiled gently at Keith’s touch, savoring the warmth it brought to his body. After a few moments, Shiro leaned and connected their lips to seal that promise with a slow, soft kiss. There were times they kissed each other like the world would end tomorrow and others where they pretended they had forever. Maybe they would never understand why the universe had decided to separate them for so long. But they knew that the stars always aligned just right to bring them back together again. 


End file.
